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So what do you think of my studio progress above?? And the new do? Do you like my hair? Okay sillies, this is the most beautiful, blissful picture though right? This happens to be Miss January from Bernina's 75 th anniversary calender. One of the many little gifts I received as a result of spending some time with them earlier in the month. Such a gorgeous picture though, and there's that birdcage of mine too. If I could manage this studio with nothing but that swank wallpaper and those three items on her table, what simple days I would have. It will stay January here for the rest of the year, as I cannot bare to flip this dreamy image away! So in the non-imaginary life of the studio I am making a little progress on some details here and there. In the old European tradition of fanciness that Miss Bernina lives in, I am using some otherwise stored away handmades from my Yiayia . Both windows that face the front yard have a special layer of del icate gold and eme...

So I've been coming across lots of odds and ends in the studio as I gradually reorganize and liberate my work space from ignoredom. Some of those ends have gotten more odd as they are subjected to this house of many little curious hands. My mom has not a small obsession with gift shopping at the MoMA . Totally fine by me! I've been showered with delightful little art-y things over the years including this smart art history lesson of a folding meter stick. The glory of which should not be in two pieces as shown above. Alas, it be ever still. Perpetrator yet to be pinned with certainty. I've tried to fix it. No luck. But a funnier luck, guess during which period of art it broke? Yup. I don't make this stuff up people. It b-roke in the Baroque period. Luckier still for the assumed perpetrator as I was so completely amused by the perfection of coincidence that I forgot to finish my interrogation and punishment. It's fine I suppose the way it is. The ki...

Well I can't spend all my time working on the studio, I do have to work in it too! So today you're getting a (horn sound) tu-tu-tu-tut on achieving the perfect folded edge on a circle!! My Lollipop quilt is in the works and my amazing friend Kath of Material Obsession has made me the happiest woman alive with this little trick! I am really so easy to please. Kath is way too busy being an amazing quilter to take the time to blog this, so I'm doing it for her. I know its not the most complex concept, but in my entire lifelong of sewing this one has escaped me somehow! So have a seat at the sewing circle pals! *1* Determine the diameter of your circle, draw it onto posterboard and cut it out. Then cut your fabric larger than the circle by about 1/2 an inch all the way around. Good news, the fabric circle doesn't have to be cut perfectly. BUT the poster circle does. *2* Lay down a modest length of foil, then your fabric circle right side down, then your ...

Okay so thats it. I'm a minimalist now. Oh alright, you obviously know I'm lying. I couldn't be even if I wanted to . But I must say I do like the look of a simple, clean space now and then. Doesn't happen often around here of course. Friday night, what started as Jeff saying he needs a better spot to work in the studio turned into a weekend long renovation process that is still just in it's beginnings. He started by building a new sewing table for me so he could have the old one that he built that I stole from him (I know). Then the whole room needed reorganizing. Such a troublemaker. Then I was whining (again) about the horrible carpet which we've yet to think of the most sutiable replacement for. Jeff lifted up a corner and found vinyl tile! We had no idea. I am of course aware that I might be the only person to dance with joy at finding dirty avacado green school floor tile under their carpet. But for a studio that sees it's share of stain...

Well my little samples of Chocolate Lollipop are settling in just fine with their new friends. This is a shot of my sewing spot that is at the end of my fabric wall and my sorting table . So its a toss up between needing even more storage space or more time to sew up all those supplies sitting on the shelf. Both, I think. I am currently working on my husband to build me a new table from some old doors leftover from the kitchen remodel . I'll keep ya posted on that one. In other news, I am FINALLY flicking! with the rest of the world (see fun flickr badge in right column, I am so proud) It's gonna take me a while to upload everything there, but it'll be tantalizing to organize all those photos. And so many intriguing groups and photo pools there too! What took me so long!? Oh and I already started a Chocolate Lollipop group to chronicle all those lovelies that you'll no doubt be whipping up this spring. I'm early on that and late on starting a Bohemia...

...thanks from me to you. I am overwhelmed at the sweetness of you! I can't say thanks enough for all the enthusiasm you've shared with me for the new line. The only thing I hate about the Oscars, are those acceptance speeches where the tone feels a bit like the winner believes they have saved the world somehow by acting. So I don't want to go on and on here about how delightful fabric really can save the world, but just want to say thank you in the most sincere way I can. Knowing that you appreciate what I do enough to want to drag home a few yards for yourself and play with it is just super. Gina-bobina has chatted it up a bit too, so go and see her at Quilter's Buzz . Now I have to get back to the original contents of the heartbox....and some sewing. Bliss. xoxo,AM

Here it is friends. You're getting chocolate for Valentine's day. All the fun. None of the fat. Oh, how to talk about this!? I am so pleased with this collection. No, I really don't say that about everything that I design. Promise. But here I did what I set out to do, which is a challenge. The design process is a wonderful, frustrating, emotional, invigorating and gracious thing. I am working with the best there is and am grateful. Love you guys! The fabrics are grouped into two colorways and in general by warms and cools. I am giddy every time one fabric sits against another, and a combination happens that I hadn't thought of yet. Oh the joy that will be had! I've included some words here with the groups that I found scribbled amongst my early sketches for Chocolate Lollipop. I often play the word game with myself to help me conjure up some imaginary world. It spurs my palette concepts, and gives me tangible things to play with in my mind in terms o...

I feel spring coming. Not in the weather...it's just a feeling . I'm nesting like a mother bird (and no, mom, I'm not pregnant). Though I am preening and cleaning like I am expecting something for certain. Hmmm. What could it be? Each and every piece of my stash was subjected to snipping and folding this weekend. It was time to cut off those dangley weird strips leftover from random quick cuts & tidy up the shape of every length of fabric. Oddball pieces went into the scrap bowl for sorting. I just cannot throw away anything that might be big enough for a yo-yo or some other little fancy. Translate to I throw away nothing. Ahhh much better. Tidy 9"x6" rectangles fit just right in these shelves. Some little storage boxes have cozied up next to the stash. I thought outside the box too. The felt box has a new little label made of embroidered felt (a'course). A box of miscellaneous items is covered in fabric. A box of embroidery materials is co...

Here's a little present for you! I added lovely hearts to one of my designs for a Valentine spin on Bohemian. The print is the perfect interlocking X and O too! So no need to rush out this weekend and choose between SpngeBob or Barbie cards, you can stay at home and print these out. Of course I did a boy version for the too-macho-for-pink-punks. So you can save the above 8.5x11 image to your desktop then print it out on card stock. Cut once across the middle, fold cards and you are in business! Glue on butttons, glitterize it, tie it up with ribbon, tape a sucker to it! Have fun! xoxo, AM

More than a week has passed since the last birthday, and we got so bored that Jeff decided to have one too. We snuck off to Chicago (alone!) to celebrate. Just so we wouldn't relax too much there was a jumpy windchill of around negative 28 to keep us awake. It also put us in the mood to melt into a warm enviroment and enjoy some of the most amazing food we've had in a while. We stepped into a spicy oasis and put flavors to our tastebuds that had never been there before. Toxic rhythms filled the air and gorgeous paintings kept us company. I was particularly enamoured with the constellation lovers that hovered across the room from us. That trio of martini glasses was filled with brightly flavored seafood concoctions. We kept taking turns at imitating tv foodies who describe what they're tasting while their mouths are full. Obnoxious romantic fun. No homemade cake for sweetie. No complaints or flour on my nose either. A charming scoop of homemade rasberry and ru...